Megan S. Acosta, Esq.
Megan S. Acosta Esq. is a Certified Legal Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust & Probate Law with the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization and advises wealthy individuals, families, closely held businesses, charities and corporate fiduciaries on all aspects of estate, gift and generation-skipping transfer tax planning, trust and estate administration, business succession and charitable planning and governance. Prior to opening her firm, Megan practiced estate planning at two leading international law firms.
Megan is a member of the planned giving advisory committee of the board of directors of the Hoag Hospital Foundation serving Hoag Memorial Hospital, one of the nation’s leading hospitals. Megan was the former Chair of such committee, where she collaborated with the board of directors of the Hoag Hospital Foundation regarding endowment and charitable trust investment, complex gifts and bequests, and contested matters.
From the start, Megan knew she wanted to specialize in estate planning. As a student at UC Berkeley, she made sure to find the best foundation for law school where she could begin her specialized training. She graduated magna cum laude and Order of the Coif and was honored at graduation as the highest achieving tax student from Pepperdine University School of Law, where she also served as Associate Editor of the Pepperdine Law Review. Her interest in estate planning stems from her desire to apply her expertise to help individuals and families. Estate planning is one of the few fields where attorneys can truly build a personal relationship with individual clients and their families.
Megan is a frequent public speaker on advanced estate planning and has written several articles for publications including a State Bar of California CLE approved course. Megan has received the Southern California Rising Stars, Super Lawyers® Award numerous times. She has received The State Bar of California’s Wiley W. Manuel Certificate for Pro Bono Legal Excellence four times. While in law school, she received the Scott H. Racine Excellence in Tax Award and various academic scholarships including the Darling Foundation Scholarship and the John Purfield Scholarship. She also earned CALI awards for the highest grade in eight law school courses.
Megan was born and raised in Orange County, but has enjoyed living abroad in Spain and Argentina and traveling throughout the world. From her travels, she developed an incredible ability to understand and build relationships with a diverse client base. One of her favorite adventures is vacationing in a remote beach town in Mexico where she learned to troll for dorado, catch giant squid and scuba dive. In her spare time, you might find her biking or running the Back Bay trails of Newport Beach or exploring Donner Lake and the areas surrounding Truckee, California with her husband and daughters.
Megan currently resides in Newport Beach with her husband and three daughters.
PROFESSIONAL & PHILANTHROPIC MEMBERSHIPS
Member, U.S. District Court, Central California
Member, American Bar Association
Member, Trusts & Estates Section of the California Bar Association
Certified Legal Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust & Probate Law, State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization
Member, Orange County Bar Association
Former Chair and Member, Hoag Hospital Foundation Planned Giving Advisory Committee
ADMISSIONS
State Bar of California
EDUCATION
UC Berkeley
Pepperdine University School of Law
